Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-05-06
CAlNRSB FARMING.
agricultural Doiugs Among the Pists,led Ce-
lestials-s ONE Surprtses.

CHISASB FARMlS8.
. sricultural Doiugs Among the P,s,Sned Ce-
lestiais-s pme Surprises.
rom Foreign Letter.
n passing through the silk growing dis
.-tt which begins very near to Shanghai and
sx ends sll around to the city OF Hsngchow,
w- ties q correspondent, could but be struck
indeed with the comfort which prevailed
everywhere. The farm houses of China, or at
any rate In that part OF China, were models
Of what farm houses should be. I had ex-
pected to see squalor aud wretchedness, and
was Ill prepared for what 1 really beheld.
good gardening was Of course
prepared tor, for Chinese gardening is synopy.
nous with everything that is neat and pro.
ductlve. But the orchards and mulberry
trees all beautifully trimmed, with the brick
built and excellent houses half hidden away
In them, certainly astonishsd me. CHANGED
to land from my house-boat frequently in
order to shoot woodcock for 1t vas winter
time when l passed through the district.
To get these birds it WAS necessary to scrau.
BILE over the fields and through the mulberry
orchards OF the district and l was simply
amazed to see how beautifully the groves
OF trees were kept Underneath great quan.
titles OF vegetables grown, not foot Of earth
appeared to be was ed, and every inch was n
the most superb order. Had the whole coun.
try been vast garden, ii could not have been
better tended aud cared for. There we're not
hereabouts any hedges or walls, the fields
were divided from each other by deep dykes
which served the double purpose OF mark.
ing out the land and irrigsting or draining
as the case might be, the adj AGENT soil. The
trees, OF which there were myrisds, were all
planted with mathematical exsctnsss and in
the greatest order, unlike the trees in many
English orchards, which seem to have been
srah tVSN 10
q much space as possible And ss for the
trees, they had ali been carefully trimmed TO
the same pattern, every little bough having
been inspected and cut as circumstances
cnanced to require. l never saw anything
bali 90 orderly in any country in the world,
was going through, but mulberry orchards
extending over hundreds OF square miles Of
country and owned by thousands OF differ.
ent husbandmen.
Wood Ashes.
From tbs Germantown Teles graph.
The value Of wood ashes as fertilizer can.
not be denied, since they contain the inor.
gauic elements Of vegetation, but there Ia .
wide difference Of opinion regarding their
real value, simply growing out OF widely
different conditions OF use, fact that can also
find its application in all other kinds OF fer.
tilizerA Tue Maine experiment station has
made an Investigation in the matter OF ashes,
and 1t Is found that there IL q very marked
difference In the com position of ashes OF dif.
ferent kinds, dump ashes being the lowest
grade except leached ashes from which the
potash has been largely drawn. Hard wood
ashes are most valuable. and contain IS per
cent OF phosphoric acid, 63 per cent. of
potash soluble in water, and 80 Is per cent. Of
lime. The advantage OF using potash in the
form as ashes comes from the chemical action
they exert upon the soil through the carbonate
OF lime which they contain.
Another point OF consideration il the re-
duced cost OF material in the form OF hard
wood unleached ashes. The same elements
OF fertility provided by finely ground South
lime would cost about at the rate OF % cents
per bushel OF ashes. 1t must be remembered
that ashes contain no nitrogen, and hence
cannot be relied upon as complete fertilizers
upon light sandy soils they produce excellent
results and effects that are lasting, but upon
wet soils would be Of little value.
Woman the Farm
Nellie Burns IN Country Gentleman.
In no other occupation Of men are women
30 directly concerned a. in farming Indeed
. we'll appointed, prosperous farm Ii almost
an impossibiiity without the help OF an inter.
ested woman. In 80 many ways she sd.
vances the farms interests. She cooks for
the hired help and prevents waste in 70
much Of the products The fruit, poultry
and eggA with which the table is supplied,
are often the result OF her thrift The dairy
products OF Americas farms are stupendous.
But 1t Ii the farmers wife who attends to the
milk and makes the butter, adding 20 much
TO the yearly income OF the family.
once knew farmers wife, who, In the
rush OF harvesting when help was scarce,
mounted the reaper and harvested oil her
husbands grain. l can recall Q number OF
instances where wives came to the rescue In
such busy seasons, and helped their hus-
bands out OF their difficulty.
30 the farmers wife Ii not only Q matri.
monisl partner, but Is really Q partner In his
business. 1t 10 unjust then that the plans
which govern the home and its surroundings
should be exclusively the wishes OF the far.
mei while her desires are treated ss OF Lit.
tie importance.
II the proceeds from the farm are spent In
purchasing Labor. saving machinery for the
farmer, II should be spent in buying the same
Tor his wife. II money IL spent in improving
the Darn aud stock, II should also be spent in
making the home pleasant and con venient.
This Plan OF mutual rights and mutual
Dement'S from the earnings, could but result
In much good and satisfaction to both nus.
band and wife.
/ once knew OF Q farmer who had a fine
farm OF 200 acres. But he was not satisfied,
he wanted 500 screa He said that when he
got that amount OF land he would then spend
money In fixing up the home they fiyed
In an old, nconvenient house The wife
worked amidst every disad want tage, but not
dollar could 60 for comfort until The 800 acres
were bought The incres ssing land brought
additional labor 70 the wife. She had 10
work hard and suffer every privation, that
her husband might be the owner OF msny
broad acres Finally, the land was bought,
but at about the same time there was Q f1ne.
raj In the house And the poor overwoyked
wife never knew any Of the comforts which
were rightfully hers.
Poultry and W0termelona
Mr.. w. II. Murphy, OF Guilford township,
franklin county, has sixty four hens that
laid H2 eggs during the month OF April.
a Lancaster county farmer who has often
tried 1t says that the most successful way to
taise M wstermelons II to plow the seeds In the
hills OF sweet potato rown
TO OPEN PEIsOS DOORS.